Author nubiannomads

Hi! This is Leigh. I don’t usually write the blogs but I felt inspired. I just finished reading a blog by A Girl and Her Commander. She made me want to really get out into nature like we had originally planned. We were so excited when we first began a year ago. We have lost our way a bit.

How did this happen? I’ll tell you. The reason I think we lost our way is because we lost our focus. We forgot why we decided to do this in the first place. It didn’t happen quickly. It was gradual. It started with the number of repairs we had to make. Before we left North Carolina, we had to put a new set of tires on the RV. That was over $2,000. Ouch!!!! When we got to California, we had some steering issues. We paid to have it fixed. It is still not completely fixed which makes Tim not really want to drive it because it pulls a lot and when you are dealing with high winds, it can get downright scary! We paid to have the awning fixed; the refrigerator, the generator, the icemaker too. We had the flooring replaced…just to name a few. Of those items, only the refrigerator is still working. I think the generator is working but we don’t know because we had a problem with our propane tank (It would not fill) and of course, the generator runs off propane. We had planned to get solar added so we could boondock more, but no luck yet. We knew that we would encounter some repairs with an older coach. We just didn’t know how many.

I am still working full-time and going to school and working on a dissertation so I haven’t been as focused on the repairs but without the repairs, we don’t get to roam like we had dreamed of doing.

We are heading back to California next month with a dose of reality pie. We will be staying at an RV Park to be close to work and friends. However, I am hoping we can get the repairs done and hit the road soon for some adventure….even if it’s just short weekend outings. If Stevie J won’t make it, I am buying a tent!

Thank you for sticking with us and supporting our dreams with your positives vibes and love. Hope to see you soon!

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The RVing lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. Adjustments have to be made for limited space and conservation of water and other resources (Hi! Leigh here. Not everyone who RVs is a conservationist, but it is important to us to reduce our footprint on the planet.)

Winter, however, brings a new set of challenges. First being the COLD. (It was colder than a witch’s teet! Brrrrr) Now cold to me is not so bad (He’s broken, ya’ll). I don’t love it or hate it. Just prefer not to be cold and if I am, it’s a minor inconvenience. Leigh, on the other hand, detests cold weather and goes to great lengths to avoid it. (You can say that again! I am a Cali girl to my bone. Cold, to me, is the low 60’s.) So it was an exercise in preparation and quick learning to get through a North Carolina winter and keep Leigh comfortable! (Epic Fail, but he tried)

The first line of defense was ” Shrinkable window film.” It was amazing to feel the immediate temperature difference after the window film was installed! Thin adhesive strips are applied around the circumference of your window. Then the film is cut to fit and applied to the adhesive. Once its all done you take a blow dryer and heat the film and it shrinks to an airtight seal. (It helped a little bit. No cigar though.)
Condensation…will be the bane of your existence in winter time RV’ing. (We only saw one video on youtube on this and they were in Canada so we didn’t think we’d have to deal with this. Boy, were we wrong!) I should mention here that we have an older rig, a 1990 Foretravel Grandvilla U225. I say this because I understand some of the newer rigs have “R” values on them and ours does not. Nevertheless, we love it and are willing to take these extra steps to stay warm in colder climates (Yep, like move to warmer weather, dat’s right). When we are all grown up we may have the finances and the want to upgrade to a newer unit but for now, we are golden! (He lying! We already want the IH45 or the Realm but they are for the Uber rich and we are just not there yet!) Anyhow one should have lots of…paper towels or just plain towels to soak up all the water that will be produced from condensation. Also, a dehumidifier may prove valuable in this situation. (Thanks to my sister, Sherri, for the recommendation. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it after living in a basement flat in Iowa one year. Now that is REAL cold also known as hell. You know…so cold it’s hot! Well, that’s Iowa, but I digress….) I know we have used ours quite a bit. The amount of water with and without one is noticeable. To further assist in the war of moisture, we used a product called “damprid”. It was some beads placed into a container that also pulled moisture out of the air. (Thanks to our wonderful RV friends, Judy & Fast Eddie for that recommendation, but don’t spill it. The liquid is weird and must be washed off.) We placed a few in the cabinetry and other hard to reach places. They performed well so be sure to check on them often should you decide to go this route.

Former underwear cabinet

Side of bed

With condensation comes mold and mildew. (Ewwwww…not only did it look gross, but It made my throat scratchy and made me feel like I was getting sick. We didn’t see it growing because other things stored here.) Get yourself some spray-on bleach or its equivalent. Be prepared to look in some pretty strange places for mold if you can’t get to all the water from condensation. I don’t think I have to tell you about all the health concerns that can come from unattended mold and mildew. I think I actually caught a cold/flu. We are talking a good scrubbing and new mattress and bedding to be sure we got it all! So leave no stone unturned when tracking moisture!
Space heaters are your friend. At least they were ours! The on-board propane heaters put out plenty of heat. On a rig as old as ours, however, the direction or flow of the heat can be an issue for you. Having the space heater as a back up to fill in the gaps has been a tremendous help for us. It is weird to have the left side of your body be warm and toasty and then your side be cool to cold (Or your whole body cold. Welcome to my world.) A space heater on that side can be all the difference in being both warm and toasty or just annoyed!
Electric blankets… enough said! Get one or two for that matter, don’t ask questions … and you’re welcome! (This kept me from running screaming into the night!)
Freezing pipes… We didn’t really experience this. (Thank goodness!) Our rig has a pretty hefty holding tank and our solution was just to fill the tank ahead of a below freezing stretch so there was more water than could freeze in one night. Also, we removed the water hose so there was nothing left in it to freeze. Our heating vents sat directly above the holding tank, thank you Foretravel, so no worries about freeze ups and we got down into the teens on quite a few nights. (You already know!)
Pets … Brini, our precocious mixed breed dog, got her very own space heater right next to her crate. Morning walks were fun. Who knew dogs like to eat snow! Or was that just Brini. She is a bit strange but so are we so it’s a good fit! (Remember he said that!)
All in all, we stayed pretty comfy through a pretty decent winter (Speak for yourself…I might not thaw out til April!). The biggest thing is to stay as warm and dry as possible. We hope this will be helpful to someone considering the full-time RV lifestyle. There are tons more information out there on Youtube and the like. So study up and I think you will be just fine.

I will say this…If you must spend the winter in a cold climate, make sure you have some good dark beer….Trust me, it helps!

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Our travels have taken us to lots of places. We have experienced many things culturally and spiritually. All have been amazing in their own respect. I am not here to decide which is the best or value one over the other. They each create a tapestry of feelings and emotions that we will treasure for a lifetime. From our travels abroad to Johannesburg, SA to the quaint RV parks in the Mid-West. All have added tremendous balance and depth to our lives. Not to mention the priceless friendships we have developed at each and every stop along the way.
This weekend Leigh and I attended a craft weekend put together with friends we had never actually met outside of cyberspace. I sit writing this blog entry after only one day of a three day weekend and let me tell you. I am blown away. There is something very comforting and reassuring about being in the company of like-minded, creative and very thoughtful individuals that even though from diverse backgrounds have similar interest and visions for humanity. Although I suppose it should be expected from the artistic types, It is still nice to experience a place where you can truly spread your wings and let all your colors be not merely seen, but with support and true genuine interest for you and the things you love. We have a whole other day and a half of this!The Food!
If you follow this blog you know Mrs. Leigh and I are foodies at our core. Let me tell you Mrs. Ace and Mrs. Na are straight “Putting in work in the Kitchen.” Our ancestors would be proud! Shrimp Fra Diavlo ….. I can only say the party in my mouth was epic! I think my teeth are still hungover… I’m just saying. A fresh cut Salad, Pickled Okra and topped off with homemade peanut clusters for dessert. I did not partake in the Okra personally but it seemed to be a hit! (This is Leigh. I loved it! It tasted just like pickles without the gooey okra stuff. Very cool since okra is supposed to be good for you) I am very satisfied taking their collective words on it (Wuss..lol). Some days I am daring, today was just a day I was not so brave. Besides…who would want to take the chance of ruining such a delicious pasta dish with Okra? I mean really! There was just enough wine to lubricate the situation…The Australian Malbec was a group favorite! “Not your Fathers Rootbeer” was another hit libation shared by us (My recommendation). Lord only knows what goodness lies in front of us! Did I mention the HOME MADE PEANUT CLUSTERS?

The Conversation!
Nothing really moves me like the free exchange of ideas. Normally when you meet folks for the first time there is the typical getting to know you hesitancy in the initial conversations. Not so here. We dove right in like we were old friends that had been away for far too long and needed to catch up on how and what everyone was doing. It was a blast! Not sure if we just clicked that well or if maybe our many short interjections via Facebook facilitated such familiarity but it doesn’t matter which contributed to this feeling. As an added bonus all our musical tastes aligned…even the young buck who hipped us to some new sounds that fit right along with some of our old-school sensibilities. I will take it all day, every day… and twice on Sundays. We hashed out several broad-ranging topics of discussions and philosophical ideas. The kind where you find yourself learning just a bit more and feeling a little better about you and the future when concluded!

The Fun

As Tim said, we came for a Crafts weekend, he worked on the blog. I had planned to just relax, but I was quickly asked to help with the beading which turned out to be quite fun and I got a cool souvenir to show for it. Others painted, while some worked on graphic designs. Some sketched. Some danced. Some enjoyed the hot tub. Some played games. I am not going to go into details because what happens at the Craft Cabin weekend stays at the craft cabin weekend.

The Place
Mineral Bluff, GA in the Amazing Views Cabins. Aptly named I might add. The house we have is quaint and cozy. Nestled near the Blue Ridge mountains in a quiet and remote mountaintop. Just the type of place needed to unwind, recharge your batteries and enjoy some time with new found friends. Only one drawback here, there just happened to be a warm up during the winter months and as such, the ladybugs that were usually asleep at this time are awake and flying around our oasis. Not really horrible but you must pay attention while preparing or trying to eat a meal… they want to share. Not really anyone’s’ fault but a nuisance none the less. Not really enough to put a damper on the event but enough to make us take notice. Needless to say, I love this place and would come back often given the opportunity.

We have said many times that the benefit of living life on the road is the amazing experiences we get to have with so many different types of people. This will definitely go down as one of those. I didn’t think about watching TV, not once! I highly recommend everyone jump out of their comfort zone & make some new friends. Hear some different perspectives. Travel. Live.

Til next time

Peace & Blessings!

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Nubian Nomads

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I know you already know this, but NubianNomads , the only way one can find their way is to first be lost. To make it big, start out small. To fall in love, first feel none. Yet, when these adventures begin and the dreamers suddenly find themselves lost, small, and alone, you should hear the “expletives”!

So, look at it like this: Any such feelings are simply a sign that you’ve made a really, really big and daring “wish,” and its manifestation has already begun.

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This holiday season has been extra special for the Nubian Nomads as we got to spend it with my husband’s family at the beach. We had so much fun with the family that we plan to make it an annual tradition. Another tradition we hope to add to this even will be breakfast at Johnny D’s! I am an avid yelper when it comes to locating a place to go for food. I cook at home a lot so I don’t want to waste my eating out meal on something that is average. At the same time, I am frugal. Yelp never disappoints! Johnny D’s was all that and a bag of chips! ( Tim here… Leigh took the lead on this one as she is the resident foodie. I must say though This place was the BOMB.COM in my book too! )

We started off with coffee. I got the Strawberry Mimosa and Tim got the orange juice. Yummy!

Then I ordered the brisket skillet. This was a recommendation from our server, Chelsea. I always like to ask the staff. Even though we have different tastes, I like brisket so if she says the brisket is good…it probably is. We thoroughly enjoyed it. ( Yep Yummy ) I say we because the hubby and I often share each other’s meals. The meat was tender and seasoned but not too spicy. There was a good meat to potato ratio. The eggs were cooked exactly how I wanted them. I could not have been happier with my breakfast!

Now, when it comes to chicken and waffles, we are a huge Dame‘s fan! We have tried them many places and this place is hands down the best! However, Johnny D’s came in at a very close 2nd. The chicken was tender. The waffles were cooked to perfection and the maple syrup was a perfect addition. Yes, we shared that too! Soooo good! All that was missing was an Apricot Shmear and we would have ourselves a tie folks!

The best part about this meal was not just that the food was amazing and the service was great! It was the hospitality! The host, Johnny D, came by to check on us several times. As did the chef & owner, Jamie Saunders, who made our amazing meals. This made us feel special. It was this little extra touch, along with the really good food, that will have us coming back to Johnny D’s for years to come. So if you are ever in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, stop for a meal and tell ’em that the Nubian Nomads sent ya’.